KC session guitarist Justus West contributes tight tracks on Beyoncé’s country debut 16 Carriages
In 2022, Justus West found himself in a late-night studio session, laying down guitar parts for a track intended for Beyoncé. West—a Kansas City-raised songwriter, producer, and session guitarist that has collaborated with John Legend, Ariana Grande and Mac Miller—was unsure what would come of the session, especially after Beyoncé’s release of Renaissance later that year.
While watching the Kansas City Chiefs fight for a Super Bowl victory, West saw that Beyoncé had dropped some surprise music. As he searched for the newly released singles amid the online explosion, he realized that the guitar parts he tracked for “16 Carriages” two years prior made the cut, becoming an integral part of the hit.
The Pitch sat down with West to discuss his recent collaboration on Queen Bey’s launch into country music, his forthcoming debut album as a solo artist, and more.
The Pitch: You come from a musical family, right? Could you tell me about your musical background?
Justus West: I was raised by my mother, Charmelle Cofield, a KCK native. She also had great success in the music industry, working for Beyoncé, Mary J Blige, Whitney Houston, and other amazing artists. But being a single parent, there was a lot to juggle in terms of raising me and keeping her music career going. We moved back to Kansas City when I was pretty young.
I grew up homeschooled, actually. That had a big influence on my musical start. I had tons of time to practice, listen to music and explore. Around 11 or 12, I started actually doing gigs around the city, playing at Juke House, The Blue Room and various churches. All of my formative years were in the city. I played everywhere there was somewhere to play, you know? I learned a lot from tons of local musicians. Most of my knowledge was on the job. I was just a little kid poppin’ around, playing in places I technically wasn’t old enough to be in.
When did you move from KC to LA?
Photo credit Bobby Escobedo
This is actually my second time leaving Kansas to come to LA. The first time I came to LA was from 2018 to 2020. I spent the whole pandemic back home, doing some creative soul searching and digging deeper, taking everything I had learned and sharing it with different people I came up with. Last year, it felt like it was time to move back. At the time, I was married and my ex-partner wanted to come back here, so I was alright, let’s try it again. Now I’ve been back here for exactly a year.
I hear you hold the record for most appearances on Tiny Desk Concerts, with the latest session being with Becky G. I’d love to know more about some of your past sessions.
Hilariously enough, my first Tiny Desk was with another Kansas City musician named Logan Richardson. He’s a freakin’ legend—obviously locally, but across the planet in the jazz world. I met him randomly after a show at The Ship many years ago. He asked if I wanted to play for him. At the time I hadn’t really played any jazz before so I wondered why he was asking me to play for him. Over time, the answer became more obvious as my approach added a distinct edge to the music we were playing. That was my first Tiny Desk session. We did it way before these big names were a part of it, so it’s been very interesting to see that over time, as my career has gone on, I’ve played with the smaller indie artists and now the big headliner artists as well. But of course the most legendary session of all was with Mac Miller.
Tell me more about your approach to music. How do you think being raised in KC has influenced that?
My approach to music is very organic. I’ve worked with the best of the best of the best, so I know the tricks and tools of songwriting and getting in sessions. But inherently, I stay in these sessions and circles because being raised in Kansas provided me with a very unique perspective of music. It’s true of a lot of musicians from Kansas City. There’s just a certain pure, organic nature that musicians from the Midwest have, specifically from Kansas City. I think it’s kind of the perfect place to grow up. I had my fair share of difficulties, especially being African American, but I’d say, for the most part, my childhood was pretty awesome and Kansas City is such a peaceful place. That peaceful nature translates to music. It’s a certain sound and energy we create. We’re all using the same chords and notes, but it’s the intention that you play with that changes the feeling and emotion that the listener feels.
You’ve done a lot of session work for some big names in the past few years, but your recent collaboration with Beyoncé on 16 Carriages takes the cake. Could you tell me how you made it onto one of Queen Bey’s first country tracks?
I had written some guitar parts for another artist, 070 Shak, called “Divorce.” Dave Hameline, the producer for that track, is a big fan of my work as a producer and songwriter. He called me in late one night while he was working with another songwriter, Ink. They had a demo they needed to bring to life with some guitar parts before they presented it to Beyoncé. I did my thing and obviously those guitar parts stayed on the record. They added bass and slide guitar and all these other elements that made the song come together.
If I can toot my own horn a little, “16 Carriages” is a little testament to versatility. I’ve been involved in just about every facet of this industry—producing, writing, vocal arranging, session work, creative direction, and I’ve helped with music videos. This was a cool moment to come in as a co-writer and session musician at a huge turning point in a megastar’s career. It’s really a huge badge of honor for me. I’m super grateful.
Also a notable mention, I’m also on the new Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign album, Vultures 1, as well. I did additional programming and production on “Do It.” I actually got both announcements around the same time. I ended up on that album because I’ve been a longtime collaborator for Ty Dolla $ign. I’ve played for him live, produced for him, and he used my song “Expectations” as an interlude on his last album and I also tracked six or seven songs as a session musician and co-producer.
View this post on Instagram
You also make your own music as a solo artist. Anything on the horizon?
I’ve been working very hard on an album. I dropped a handful of singles last year of songs I had been holding onto for way too long. I got ready to drop the album, but just didn’t feel like it was ready yet. I had some big life changes: I went through a divorce and now have been dealing with an auto-immune illness. There were a lot more things I wanted to say in this first full-length album. I’ve been working with another well-decorated songwriter, James Fauntleroy, who has written hits for Beyoncé, Bruno Mars, and Rhianna. He came in to help me finish putting the labrum together, so we’ve been working hand in hand to get it done. That’s all I can say for now, but new music will be dropping this year.
I always like to know what artists are listening to, so what has captured your attention recently?
Oh 100%, Mk.gee. I freaking love Mk.gee so much, and he produces another artist named Dijon that’s really dope. I also really love an artist named RY X.
What’s next for you?
Still doing a lot of writing sessions with other artists, contributing to albums, of course working on my solo project, and more collaboration. Those are the main focuses for me right now, and everything else is long-term planning. There are some business and creative concepts I want to bring to Kansas City that I’m still fleshing out, but I’m kind of just sitting and pondering on that for now.
Do you have any plans to come back to Kansas City soon? Any upcoming local shows?
I will be headlining the Overland Park Fourth of July Festival. That’s going to be a lot of fun. That will be a big unveiling moment for me as an artist in my hometown. I didn’t perform much as a solo artist in Kansas City––that’s mostly been in Los Angeles. A big goal of mine this year is to build an increased presence in KC and to teach and funnel resources back into my hometown to encourage more creatives to follow this kind of path. I hope to book some more shows and appearances in the city this year.
